Are your stories all true? Or are they just comforting? Sometimes I think that we get ourselves into trouble as writers because the stories we’re telling ourselves about our writing and our writing lives aren’t actually true. They seem true -- the voices are very convincing -- but if you start asking questions, you’ll often […]

“How do I even know if my writing is any good?” At some point or another, every writer asks themselves this question, in the general sense about themselves as a writer, as well as about specific pieces of work. In my experience – both with my own writing and for students I’ve worked with -- […]

Friend, if you are paying attention even with just one eye open, it’s a hard hard world. My heart goes out to everyone affected by the horrible acts of war unfolding day after day in Ukraine. For the first time ever, scientists have named a heat wave -- Zoe has devastated Spain and caused many deaths. It […]

Multiple and simultaneous submissions: ever wondered if you should do this? Short version: Yes. Need more? God, yes! A student of mine is dealing with this dilemma right now. She has work she feels is finished and ready to publish, but feels a bit nervous about submitting to more than one place at a time. […]

Read Like a Writer: Building A Writer's Reading List From time to time in any given writing project, you’ll hit a wall. It would be great if this wall was painted with the perfect novel outline, but that doesn’t seem to be in the repertoire of most graffiti artists. The Writer’s Reading List is the […]

Georgina Beaty is the author of THE PARTY IS HERE, now out with Freehand Books. Busy Women on Writing Books This is the 15th instalment in an interview series on writing, profiling women writers who’ve written and published books while also working, parenting, volunteering, caring for family, attending school, and ALL OF THE THINGS. This week, […]

DIY Writing Retreats: What are they? I'm heading into a Page Booster Writing Retreat this weekend, with my #FINISHERS group from First Book Finish. Whenever I plan a DIY writing retreat like this, my whole body goes "Ahhhhhh." Writing retreats are hands-down my favourite way to make substantive progress on a manuscript and reconnect to why I write […]

You can write with ease and joy again. If you’re feeling exceptionally perky these days, this isn’t the blog post for you. But I’ve been hearing from some people that they’re struggling with a lack of motivation and low energy lately and this is affecting their writing. What to do? First things first: a big […]

Keeping a writer’s notebook is an essential tool for creating and maintaining a writing life you love. To be clear, I’m not talking here about a journal, which is a book into which you write your thoughts and feelings about anything that strikes you. I’m also not talking about a diary, which can be similar […]

Admittedly, researching the "best" journals for writers might be something of a unicorn hunt. As all writers know, selecting the right journal is an entirely subjective and almost sacred experience. Some will speak to your heart/pen and some won’t – which may have less to do with the 100gsm paper and more with the vibe you feel the first […]

Tell me. I lost some sleep this week. I’m in the habit of turning off all my screens at 9pm, and going to bed with a good book. Usually this means I’m asleep by 10pm, all comfy and snug under my duvet with a little lavender oil scenting the air from my diffuser, and I […]

Busy Women on Writing Books This is another installment in a new interview series on writing, profiling women writers who’ve written and published books while also working, parenting, volunteering, caring for family, attending school, and ALL OF THE THINGS. This week, I'm pleased to introduce you to my friend, Scottish Indie author Emma Dhesi. Emma is […]